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No. 22 1/2 Push knob Filler
In 1924 Montblanc introduced the "Meisterstück" series which was intended to be the company's top-of-the-line offering. MB's marketing department came up with the clever idea of offering the pens with a lifetime guarantee allowing them to be sold at a premium price even at a time when the economy was in a difficult position. The series were numbered based on their price. So, No. 25 meant that it cost 25 Reichsmark (RM) which was the currency in Germany at the time. The smaller numbers meant that the pens cost less but also that they were smaller in size. The No. 25 was amongst the smaller pens in the lineup. The largest was the No. 45.
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No. 35 Push knob Filler
This pen is from the personal collection of Joudenali. Watch out for reviews of truly rare pens from his treasure chest!
In 1924 Montblanc introduced the "Meisterstück" series which was intended to be the company's top-of-the-line offering. MB's marketing department came up with a clever idea of offering the pens with a lifetime guarantee, allowing them to be sold at a premium price even at a time when the economy was in a difficult position. These pens were numbered based on their price, and the line up included a No. 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45. A No. 35 meant that it cost 35 Reichsmark (RM) which was the currency in Germany at the time.
Notice that this pen has "Capolavoro" and not "Meisterstück" imprinted on its cap. This signifies the pen was made for the Italian market. Similarly, pens from this series that were made for France were imprinted with "Chef D'œuvre", and those made for the English speaking market said "Masterpiece". They all mean the same thing.
This pen was made in Hamburg, between the very short period of 1929-31. It has the ball clip, which is period correct. The teardrop clip came right after. Notice the beautiful "35" inscribed in the large size 235 nib made of 18c gold. The pen itself measures 13.2 cm capped. It is the second largest in the Meisterstück series in terms of dimensions. While the large Meisterstück series pens of this period are highly sought after collectables, this particular pen is even more special because of its rare burgundy colour. I am assuming this is the "mattone" colour presented in Italian advertisements.
The body and cap of these Mesisterstück pens are believed to be made of celluloid, but one particular advertisement from the late 1920s showing this series of pens in its lever variant asserts that "In keeping with our tradition of quality, we do not make pens made from cheap celluloid material that is flammable; our material is absolutely breakage and fireproof". Now, I don't know if this means that the material itself is not celluloid (maybe Galalith/casein) or if the advertisement simply implied that the quality of celluloid used by Montblanc was superior.
c. 1930 Italian advertisement
The push knob filling system on this pen was known as Stoßfüller. It was advertised as being so convenient to use that it needed only a single hand to fill the pen.
Over the years of its production, this series presented many variations - from safety filler to lever filler to push-knob filler; in colours like red, blues, greens, black, and more; with elongated cap-tops and regular cap tops; with many interesting kinds of clips; with different imprints on nibs; from small size 20 pens to large size 45 pens, and much more.
Check out the "pen history" section of our website for examples of all these variations!
c. 1932 German advertisement
For bibliography, see Resources page -->link
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